Guardian Real Estate Services has received a capitalization loan for Axletree, a 110-unit, Class A community in Milwaukie, Ore. HFF secured the floating-rate, construction loan on behalf of the company through a regional bank. The development is scheduled for completion in spring 2019.

The to-be-built project will be situated at 2036 S.W. Washington St., at the intersection of South East Main and South East Washington Streets. Axletree will be close to the new MAX Orange line stop and to various shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as the Willamette River.

The five-story property will offer a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom units averaging 610 square feet. Project plans also call for 7,500 square feet of retail space on the first floor and 78 parking spaces. Common-area amenities will include a fitness center and a club room.

Managing Director Casey Davidson was part of team that represented the developer, while Senior Managing Director Ira Virden and Carrie Kahn led the equity capitalization efforts. Earlier in June, HFF arranged a $17.3 million loan for a 271-unit community located in Phoenix.

It’s that time again! On Tuesday night, Multifamily Northwest held the ACE Awards recognizing outstanding individuals for Apartment Community Excellence throughout 2017. At the event 9 of our very own Guardian team members were recognized for their extraordinary service, including Troy Korum from Van Mall North who won the trophy for Property Manager of the Year 1-99 units.

Affordable Housing Manager of the Year:

Lacey Bowman, Champion Park I & II

Glenna Brown, The Ridge

Property Manager of the Year:

Robert Faulconer, Crystal Lake

Troy Korum, Van Mall North

Julie Mallonee, Sunpointe

Assistant Manager of the Year:

Marina Minne, Sunpointe Apartments

Joy Pope, Park Avenue West

Maintenance Manager of the Year:

Rob Stinson, Crystal Lake

Rookie of the Year:

Jason Kohler, Collins Circle

We also would like to take this opportunity to recognize the Guardian Affordable Housing Management Association (AHMA) Oregon nominees and winners from June 2017:

Manager of the Year:

Glenna Brown, The Ridge

Dianne Pierce, East Fair Terrace

Assistant Manager of the Year:

Nicole Cristoforo, Bridge Meadows

Lacinda Nix, Rainbow Village

Compliance Specialist of the Year:

Allison Christensen, Home Office

Honorable Mention: Kory Thompson, Home Office

Congratulations and thank you to all our nominees (and winners!) 2017 was a year of great accomplishments for the Guardian team.

]]>Iconic ‘B’ is saved for posterity as demolition begins to make way for five-story mixed-use building

The iconic sign for Bernard’s Garage has been moved to the Milwaukie Musuem in preparation for a five-story mixed-use building next to the city’s light-rail stop.
Demolition of the rest of the auto-repair business that had been downtown for more than 90 years is expected to take place next week. Developers had initially wanted to reinstall the “B” sign atop their newly constructed building, but this month they said that plan didn’t work with their final design.

“Thank you to RH Construction and Guardian Properties for donating the sign, and Security Sign for providing the removal and placement for free,” said Milwaukie Museum spokesman Greg Hemer.

Tom Brenneke, president of Guardian Real Estate Services, paid Clackamas County Chairman Jim Bernard $1.8 million for the more than half-an-acre site last May. Brenneke thinks the location next to the MAX platform is “really strong” for 110 apartments on top of 7,000 square feet of retail. With high ceilings on the ground floor, he hopes the new building, to open in 2019, will attract a 3,600-square-foot restaurant/brewery to anchor the site and become a regional destination. He is currently negotiating a lease with the potential anchor tenant.

Sera Architects, internationally recognized for its green buildings, will include in the project features like a green roof, energy-efficient windows/appliances and water-saving plumbing. Studios and one-bedroom apartments will rent for at least $1,300 a month, and two-bedroom apartments will fetch about $2,000 a month, Brenneke predicts.

Brenneke, 53, grew up in Milwaukie, graduated in 1980 from La Salle High School just east of city limits and still has a great love for the area.

]]>Guardian’s 2018 Development Projectshttps://www.gres.com/news/featured/guardians-2018-development-projects/
Sat, 31 Mar 2018 18:03:37 +0000http://www.gres.com/?post_type=news&p=12432018 continues to be an active year for the Guardian Real Estate Services development team. The state of the market… read article »

]]>2018 continues to be an active year for the Guardian Real Estate Services development team. The state of the market is strong and the outlook for multifamily is promising. As a top developer in the multifamily arena we are moving forward with both commercial and mixed-use projects in the Portland metro-area.

Axletree Apartments

Located on the former Bernard’s Garage site in the heart of Downtown Milwaukie, Axletree Apartments will be the first newly constructed five-story multifamily and mixed-use building the city has seen in 10+ years. Axletree features 110 apartments including contemporary studio, one- and two-bedroom homes and 7,000 sf of retail space for community convenience. As a hometown developer, owner, and property manager Guardian has worked closely with the City of Milwaukie during the design process understanding the importance of the historic charm and vibrant community that Milwaukie offers. Financing for the project will close this spring and anticipated construction completion is spring of 2019. For more project information or to receive Axletree Apartments updates visit www.axletreemilwaukie.com.

Block 33

Block 33, located in Old Town Chinatown, is a proposed mixed-used development featuring apartments, ground floor retail and subterranean parking. 10% of the apartment homes will be affordable at 60% MFI. The Project is in a historic district and will be designed in accordance with the New Chinatown/Japantown Design guidelines put forth by the city’s Landmarks Commission. Guardian is requesting an amendment to the 2035 comprehensive plan to increase the height allowance to 200 feet on the western portion of the block, which allows for twice the number of units and is encouraged by the Old Town Chinatown Community Associations support of the request. If approved this project could be a catalytic development for the historic neighborhood.

Tuck Lung

Adding to Guardians foothold in Old Town Chinatown Guardian purchased Tuck Lung, a building with deep roots in the area. “We felt that owning more rather than less in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood was a good strategy,” said President Tom Brenneke. The property offers 9,000 square feet of commercial space, room for up to 4 commercial tenants. Originally Guardian acquired the property with plans to execute both an exterior and interior rehab but after hearing the community’s concerns have decided to keep the exterior of the building as is. Guardian is invested in the community revitalization of Old Town Chinatown and hope that the interior rehab and exterior cleanup will help draw more people to the historic neighborhood while not altering the character of the building.

Koti

Koti is an urban mixed-use building paying homage to Northwest Portland’s rich Scandinavian history. The property consists of 200 apartment units and approximately 14,000 square feet of retail surrounding a European inspired public square. The site is located in the popular Conway District, also known as Slabtown at the north end of NW 21st Avenue near the Alphabet District. The adjacent block to the east will also be developed by Portland Parks and Recreation adding to the over 10,000 acres of public parks that already exist in Portland. Koti is a voluntary participant in the MULTE program designating 20% of the units to residents making 80% MFI.

]]>Taller building height limit weighed on Old Town parking lot sitehttps://www.gres.com/news/featured/taller-building-height-limit-weighed-old-town-parking-lot-site/
Fri, 23 Mar 2018 15:05:49 +0000http://www.gres.com/?post_type=news&p=1238By Elliot Njus | The Oregonian/OregonLive The Portland City Council is considering whether to allow a building up to 200… read article »

The Portland City Council is considering whether to allow a building up to 200 feet tall on a vacant block in Old Town Chinatown that’s currently a surface parking lot.

Mayor Ted Wheeler had proposed to raise the height on the block bounded by Northwest Davis and Couch streets and Fourth and Fifth avenues to 160 feet on its west half and 125 on its east half.

The owner of the lot, Guardian Real Estate Services, on Thursday asked the council to go even further, raising the allowable height to 200 feet on the west side of the site. Company President Tom Brenneke said a housing development isn’t feasible with lower height limits and said the parcel is profitable as a parking lot and by implication could stay that way for a while.

Previous development proposals for the site, including an Uwajimaya Asian grocery store, foundered under the existing 100-foot height limit.

Members of the city’s Historic Landmarks Commission, which would eventually weigh in on the design of any building on the site, said they opposed raising the height limits because it could erode the integrity of the 10-block New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989.

“We all want to see development on a surface parking lot, especially in a historic district,” said Kristen Minor, vice chair of the commission. “This has really been a blight, and we would like to see it filled. The height amendment, though it is reduced on the half block, is still out of scale with the historic contributing buildings.”

The Old Town Chinatown Community Association supported the 200-foot height if it led to a development that includes affordable and median-priced housing, saying it was convinced redevelopment wouldn’t be possible at lower heights, said Chair Helen Ying.

“At this time, the way Chinatown and Japantown is, even my own children have a hard time wanting to come into the area,” Ying said. “That does not help to pay respect to the community. We need to find a way to make this area thrive and be economically viable for the Chinese business there.”

]]>Place, permanence, purposehttps://www.gres.com/news/featured/place-permanence-purpose/
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 16:44:19 +0000http://www.gres.com/?post_type=news&p=1227Multi-generational living benefits youth, seniors, community at new Beaverton location. A place of belonging and permanence is golden for foster… read article »

]]>Multi-generational living benefits youth, seniors, community at new Beaverton location.

A place of belonging and permanence is golden for foster children. The same can be said for a place of independence, support and purpose for senior citizens.

In August, Bridge Meadows — a multi-generational housing community serving youth in Oregon’s foster system, adoptive parents and senior citizens — welcomed home the first residents of its newest location in Beaverton.

“Individually we are one drop,” Schubert said. “Together we’re an ocean.”

“I wish there was a Bridge Meadows in every city; in every state,” Doyle said.

“When we welcomed our new residents home earlier this fall, several cried, sharing with us that they were so happy to live in a place where they could truly belong. There was a collective sense of joy and amazement,” Schubert said. “As we look to our official grand opening, we’re excited to extend this excitement to greater Beaverton and beyond, sending our thanks to everyone who has helped us to get where we are today.”

Bridge Meadows’ mission is to provide permanent homes for foster youth; support adoptive parents with resources; and give senior citizens purpose in their daily lives. Its Beaverton facility, which shares a similar footprint as the original property in North Portland, features an intergenerational community center and 41 total residential units, including nine family townhomes and 32 senior apartments.

Brian and Josie Parker moved into a three-bedroom townhouse in Bridge Meadows with their adopted son Victor, 3, along with a 5-month-old foster son in September.

The couple are publishers of youth material and have been fostering children for about a decade, after trying unsuccessfully to have children. Victor began as a foster child and has been with the Parkers since he was 2 months old. They were able to adopt him. Victor is among about nine children the couple have fostered over the years.

The Parkers were drawn to the multi-generational housing space for a number of reasons.

“We are active community members and this is a great community,” Brian said. “Victor has so many grandmas here.”

Brian added that housing costs were making it challenging to survive and that Bridge Meadows seemed a perfect fit for their family.

“From the beginning, we knew that a multi-generational community of this kind would be perfect for Beaverton,” Beaverton City Council President Marc San Soucie said. “This is a unique model and we are very excited to be celebrating Bridge Meadows.”

The Bridge Meadows development responds to the Beaverton-area’s critical demand for safe, affordable housing and permanency-focused alternatives to foster care. Residents of Bridge Meadows Beaverton include senior citizens and families working toward permanency from the foster care system. The community is home to people from as far away as Virginia and from as close as across the street.

Therese Rose of Northern Virginia learned about Bridge Meadows on the “PBS NewsHour.”

“I knew I had to move there,” she said. The retired marriage and family therapist and special education teacher said Bridge Meadows aligns with all of her values and goals.

“I have a grandchild in England — a foster child who my daughter and her husband are in the process of adopting,” Rose added.

“The new Bridge Meadows project is well-aligned with the Beaverton Community Vision Plan and has received explicit support of city residents, especially neighbors around the site,” said Doyle, who initially approached Bridge Meadows about replicating its model in Washington County. “Bringing more affordable housing, particularly for seniors, is a top priority for the city, and the Bridge Meadows model of serving families who are in the process of adopting foster youth makes it all the better.”

Among the attendees at the celebration event was the Portland Bridge Meadows first resident, Juanita Rivera Laush, 94. Once a columnist for The Times’ sister publication, the Lake Oswego Review, Rivera Laush leads a weekly writing workshop. She also does tai chi. Rivera Laush enjoys her interaction with the foster youth. “I love to see them growing up so loving,” she said.

A featured speaker at the event was the executive director of Washington County Housing Authority, Val Valfre, who described Bridge Meadows as more than just an affordable housing site.

“Bridge Meadows encourages safe interaction and welcomes everyone,” Valfre said. “It just exudes inclusion and harmony and will have a transformative impact on our lives.”

Bridge Meadows Community Support Specialist Hannah Green facilitates supportive groups and activities at the Beaverton location. She said seniors can share their wisdom and skills with foster and adopted youth and it’s a wonderful exchange. “The children energize the seniors and it’s mutually beneficial,” she added. “There’s a communal dinner each Wednesday and everyone participates. Children learn to cook and everyone sets up as well as cleaning up.”

In support of the project, Bridge Meadows secured resources from the State of Oregon, City of Beaverton, Washington County, The Collins Foundation and Oregon Community Foundation, Spirit Mountain Community Fund and Windermere Stellar, resulting in nearly $14 million raised. The total project cost was $15.2 million, and partners include Walsh Construction, Carleton Heart, Washington County Housing Bureau, Beaverton Christian Church, Weinburg Foundation and Eisner Foundation.

The facility is at the corner of Southwest Allen Boulevard and Menlo Drive, across from the Beaverton Christian Church.

The Bridge Meadows nonprofit has one other existing location, which opened in April 2011 and can be found on the site of the former John Ball Elementary School in the Portsmouth neighborhood of North Portland.

]]>Tuck Lung building makeover on holdhttps://www.gres.com/news/featured/tuck-lung-building-makeover-hold/
Wed, 25 Oct 2017 23:41:45 +0000http://www.gres.com/?post_type=news&p=1225A proposal to remake a property with deep roots in Old Town Chinatown’s Chinese-American community has stalled after running into opposition from Portland’s Historic Landmarks Commission.

Guardian Real Estate Services aimed to reposition the Tuck Lung building, at 140 N.W. Fourth Ave. The developer purchased the building for $8.25 million in May from investor John Beardsley.

After receiving design advice from the Historic Landmarks Commission, Guardian President Tom Brenneke said it appears unlikely the commission would accept the project team’s proposed alterations. Now, the developer may give up on updating the existing building and wait until a larger one can be constructed on the property, he said.

“Our proposal was to improve the façade and install a new storefront,” he said. “We don’t feel we’re going to be successful to convince the Landmarks Commission to allow us to do that. We’re unsure of our path. It’s frustrating.”

]]>A proposal to remake a property with deep roots in Old Town Chinatown’s Chinese-American community has stalled after running into opposition from Portland’s Historic Landmarks Commission.

Guardian Real Estate Services aimed to reposition the Tuck Lung building, at 140 N.W. Fourth Ave. The developer purchased the building for $8.25 million in May from investor John Beardsley.

After receiving design advice from the Historic Landmarks Commission, Guardian President Tom Brenneke said it appears unlikely the commission would accept the project team’s proposed alterations. Now, the developer may give up on updating the existing building and wait until a larger one can be constructed on the property, he said.

“Our proposal was to improve the façade and install a new storefront,” he said. “We don’t feel we’re going to be successful to convince the Landmarks Commission to allow us to do that. We’re unsure of our path. It’s frustrating.”

The two-story building’s ground floor is vacant, spurring Guardian’s desire for an update, Brenneke said. The second floor is leased by Allied Health Services of Portland, which operates an addictions treatment clinic there, while the basement is leased by Beardsley.

The existing building occupies approximately a quarter-block, and opened in 1978. It was designed by Chinese-American architects Edwin and Jessie Chen, and includes a number of characteristic Chinese architectural features, including a tiled roof, hexagonal windows and the use of red and green colors, a city staff report states.

The initial design by SERA Architects would have added glazed storefront openings on the ground floor and a wooden slat screen on the second floor. The proposal called for removing railings.

Brenneke defended the design put forward by SERA and Guardian.

“We’d like to bring a more modern look,” he said. “We appreciate the Chinese culture and attempted to bring in those motifs, but it’s not a particularly attractive building at all.”

Carin Carlson, a member of the Historic Landmarks Commission, did not return messages seeking comment on the Tuck Luck proposal.

With the planned façade improvements stalled, Brenneke said he may wait until the property is ripe for full redevelopment. The existing tenants have seven to eight years remaining on their leases, he said.

“That property is long-term suited for a larger building,” he said. “That’s certainly in the back of our mind.”

The existing building is regarded as a “non-contributing” structure to the New Chinatown/Japantown Historic District. But the property has long been an anchor of Chinatown. The property was known as The Paris House (also known as the Panama Rooms) from 1889 to 1946. It had a ground-floor Chinese-American restaurant called Chop Suey and a smoke shop below an inn, according to a historical photo included in city documents.

The 39-year-old building hosted Tuck Lung, a restaurant and associated grocery store owned and operated by the Wong family. The businesses closed permanently in the 1980s.

The Tuck Lung building is part of the changing story of Old Town Chinatown. The neighborhood has a large homeless population, and much of the metro area’s Asian community has shifted to Beaverton or to the so-called Jade District in East Portland.

Guardian is among the developers pushing for a taller, more modern Old Town Chinatown that would have fewer links to its history.

Guardian also owns Block 33, the lot neighboring Tuck Lung to the west across Fourth Avenue. The parcel is currently a surface parking lot. Guardian has proposed to build a 10-story, 125-foot-tall mixed-use building on the property.

Brenneke said the Tuck Lung building’s proximity to Block 33 was part of its appeal.

“We felt that owning more rather than less in the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood was a good strategy,” he said. “It was a bit of a defensive play to gain assurances that we knew what was going to happen there (at the Tuck Lung property). And we made a good real estate deal.”

Block 33 was the subject of a design advice hearing in January. Brenneke said the project is on hold until at least Jan. 1, when the city’s 2035 Comprehensive Plan takes effect. The plan raises the allowable height on Block 33 to 125 feet, up from 100 feet.

]]>The Golden Hammer Award is presented to honor a multifamily project (rehabilitation or new construction) that best shows the ideals of affordability, quality of design, cost containment, livability, community revitalization, or service integration.

Honoree | Native American Youth and Family Center
Program | NAYA Generations (Portland)

NAYA Generations is a community intentionally designed to bring foster children into permanent homes in supportive intergeneration living environment integrating a culturally Native American overlay. There are 40 newly constructed residential units at 30% and 60% rent levels. This project completed on time and under budget, which allowed for the inclusion of a mural to one of the facades of a building and a playground for the children that live onsite. This was with the inclusion of quality elements that were requested by NAYA such as cedar planters, Native American artwork, and the inclusion of a separate playroom outfitted to allow for a separate nonprofit organization to provide services that focuses on outpatient mental health services to foster and adopted children and their families.

The Golden Hammer Award is presented by Housing Oregon, an organization working to ensure all Oregonians have a healthy and stable place to live.

]]>Guardian Real Estate takes business to the Southeast ‘burbshttps://www.gres.com/news/featured/guardian-real-estate-takes-business-southeast-burbs/
Tue, 19 Sep 2017 17:49:08 +0000http://www.gres.com/?post_type=news&p=1213It's official: some developers are setting up huge projects outside Portland's city limits in other suburbs to avoid the Inclusionary Housing affordable residential unit requirement.
On Tuesday Sept. 12, a new large project being developed by Guardian Real Estate Services was approved by a 5-0 vote at the Milwaukie planning commission in the southeast suburb of Portland.
Plans include 110 units, 7,500 square-feet of retail space, 78 parking spaces for cars, a fitness facility and a club room for residents. The building will have 7,190 square-feet of retail and commercial space on the first floor and 110 multifamily dwelling units on the top four floors.

It’s official: some developers are setting up huge projects outside Portland’s city limits in other suburbs to avoid the Inclusionary Housing affordable residential unit requirement.

On Tuesday Sept. 12, a new large project being developed by Guardian Real Estate Services was approved by a 5-0 vote at the Milwaukie planning commission in the southeast suburb of Portland.

Plans include 110 units, 7,500 square-feet of retail space, 78 parking spaces for cars, a fitness facility and a club room for residents. The building will have 7,190 square-feet of retail and commercial space on the first floor and 110 multifamily dwelling units on the top four floors.

“I’m born and raised in Milwaukie, and spent my first 18-20 years there,” said Guardian Real Estate president Tom Brenneke. “I’ve been out of the city ever since, and kind of returning home to do a significant project.”

The project, so far without an official name, is located at 2036 S.E. Washington St.

“It’s on one of the streets I walked every day as a kid, to me that’s very exciting,” Brenneke said. “I went to grade school at St. John’s grade school a few blocks away. My mom worked in downtown Milwaukie, I used to walk to her office after school.”

The lot is about 25,000 square feet of land at the old site of the family-owned auto repair shop Bernard’s Garage, which closed on May 1.

“The stars lined up here: it feels really good,” Brenneke said. “We’re seeing gridlock traffic here in Portland, but if you look in a different direction, Milwaukie is a 10-15 minute drive and it seems pretty logical for the path of development.”

It’s in the historical downtown and so had to meet historic district guidelines.

Another detail is a setback of six feet for the top two stories that’s required, but Brenneke requested a variance.

“We made a case and the city agreed we met the spirit of intent without actually setting back,” Brenneke said. “We have a nice-looking building with lots of interest in it.”

He hopes it’ll bring new retail to the somewhat sleepy downtown area.

“We think we’ll be positive in terms of new retail opportunities and certainly bring some housing to the downtown area, which is in high demand and not there now,” Brenneke said. “We’ll provide that housing and hopefully a level of activity that will spur additional development — that’s our hope.”

Why Milwaukie?
“No doubt about it that the inclusionary zoning rules in Portland have caused us, like others, to look outside the city limits for future opportunities,” Brenneke said. “There’s a disconnect between the land values and the expectation on land pricing, and the economics of the deal have change with inclusionary zoning.”

It’s definitely easier to develop in the city of Milwaukie than in Portland right now.

“I mean it’s simpler, it’s more streamlined. I’m hesitant to have any conclusions but the initial signals are you have a generally pro-development culture in Milwaukie,” Brenneke said. “They’re very welcoming, they’ve been confident, capable and competent. You know they are excited genuinely about new things happening in their city and so while they have their processes — no doubt about it — the timeline from start to finish is substantially quicker. All in all, it’s a substantially different experience.”

Brenneke is also developing Block 290, in the Con-way block master plan at Northwest 21st and Pettygrove in Portland, which was approved recently in August. It does have an affordable housing element although it went through the permitting process before the Inclusionary Housing policy took effect.

“I spent three years in the process in design review, iterations to the plan, arguments to the neighbors,” Brenneke said of Block 290. “It took me three years versus this one (in Milwaukie) — start to finish, one year.”

At Block 290, Guardian Real Estate essentially owns two full blocks there — one will go to the city to become a city park, and one will be the 200-unit apartment project. The neighbors caused Guardian to have to appeal to the City Council to get approval.

“I’m pre-IZ (Inclusionary Housing) on my block here in Portland. I have a three-year-old application so we have that inclusionary zoning, but it doesn’t affect me,” Brenneke said. “I signed up for the MULTE program here in Portland on my Block 290, I voluntarily went to 10 percent affordable to 80 percent area median household income in return for tax exemptions — I’m happy about it.”

The MULTE program, the multiple-unit limited tax exemption, gives tax breaks to developments that include affordable housing, and is a program run through the Portland Housing Bureau.

“I’m all for affordable housing — that’s half my business — I’m just not for doing it that way,” Brenneke said. “I’m a big proponent of the multi program, the voluntary program. We’ve participated with that — at the east end of the Burnside Bridge, that 21-story tower (the Yard) was our tower.”

He’s also planning to include affordable housing units at the Milwaukie project.

“I was planning to do as many as I could with that (MULTE) program — but forced affordable is a different story,” Brenneke said. “The proof is in the numbers. All you got to do is look at new intakes for permits since the February date: there’s basically nothing.”

The project’s groundbreaking is anticipated for January 2018, with an expected 14-month build time.

“We should all be very concerned that this (Inclusionary Housing) program is backfiring,” Brenneke said. “It’s well-intended, but it’s not going to do what they want: it’s going to be a long period, it appears, of no new applications.”

Community Development Partners (CDP) (communitydevpartners.com) is pleased to announce that it has partnered with EngAGE (engagedaging.org) to offer arts-based educational curriculum at Cascadian Terrace Apartments in NE Portland, OR. EngAGE is a nonprofit that provides arts, wellness, lifelong learning, and intergenerational programs to apartment communities in Southern California, Oregon, and Minnesota. CDP’s partnership with EngAGE demonstrates its continued commitment to break the boundaries of traditionally more modest programming, and instead offer highly impactful services.

EngAGE’s aim is to change lives by transforming affordable housing into centers of unity, learning, and well-being. The organization recruits college-level educators and other professionals to teach classes onsite, at no cost to participants, and on a semester basis. Classes may include languages, computers, gardening, cooking, music appreciation, acting, photography, drawing, poetry, chorus, yoga, strength training, financial literacy, etc. At the end of each semester, students participate in culminating events such as art shows or performances.

Tim Carpenter, Founder and CEO of EngAGE, states, “The EngAGE mission is to empower people—intellectually, creatively, and emotionally—to gain mastery, life enrichment, and engagement. Ultimately, we aim to be a tool for social change and innovation. CDP is on the same page. They are dedicated to doing more than is just the minimum of creating affordable housing.”

Acquired in 2015 by CDP, Cascadian Terrace is a 103-unit affordable community for residents earning 60 percent or less of the Area Median Income (AMI). Many of the residents at Cascadian Terrace are formerly homeless and/or have disabilities. The EngAGE partnership is facilitated at Cascadian Terrace by Friendly House, an organization that provides quality educational, recreational and other life-sustaining services. In addition to arts, wellness, and lifelong learning, Friendly House provides resident case management services at Cascadian Terrace, thus addressing each individual’s needs.

Eric Paine, Chief Executive Officer of CDP, says, “We’re really pleased to partner with EngAGE. Their mission fits perfectly with our values of taking a whole-person approach to creating healthy communities. Cascadian Terrace was an important preservation opportunity and incorporating an innovative services program with EngAGE is an important step in building community and ensuring stability for the residents.”

Founded in 2011, Community Development Partners develops and operates sustainable, life-enhancing affordable housing with a focus on long-term community engagement and innovative design.

]]>2017 ACE Awardshttps://www.gres.com/news/featured/2017-ace-awards/
Tue, 23 May 2017 20:18:05 +0000http://www.gres.com/?post_type=news&p=1152Multifamily NW held their annual ACE Awards last Thursday, May 18th at the World of Speed in Wilsonville. The industry’s… read article »

]]>Multifamily NW held their annual ACE Awards last Thursday, May 18th at the World of Speed in Wilsonville. The industry’s best and brightest were recognized at the event, which included 14 Guardian employees. 2 of our very own took home a trophy, congratulations to Allison Christensen, Compliance Specialist of the Year & Katie Barber, Affordable Manager of the Year.

]]>Foster kids get a team of surrogate grandparents at Bridge Meadowshttps://www.gres.com/news/featured/foster-kids-get-team-surrogate-grandparents-bridge-meadows/
Mon, 08 May 2017 22:26:08 +0000http://www.gres.com/?post_type=news&p=1143From her second-story apartment balcony, Juanita Laush, 93, enjoys the sounds of children at play in courtyard of the Bridge… read article »

]]>From her second-story apartment balcony, Juanita Laush, 93, enjoys the sounds of children at play in courtyard of the Bridge Meadows housing complex in North Portland.

A young girl looks up and calls out, “Hi Juanita!” and from above, Laush waves back.

“They come and they hug me and sometimes they talk,” she said. “Sometimes they come to my door and say, ‘I want to read to you.’ I’m just the resident grandma.”

This is what’s missing from most senior housing facilities: Kids.

But here, at the nonprofit Bridge Meadows, foster children, their adoptive families, and senior citizens live in close proximity, with each generation benefiting.

Parents get a support network to help with babysitting and mentorship. Children get access to after school programs and a team of surrogate grandparents. Seniors — called “elders” in the community — get stable housing and a sense of purpose.

“We are the pioneers of community, intergenerational living,” Laush said. “Everybody’s saying this is the answer to aging gracefully.”

As the Portland location celebrates six years, Bridge Meadows is preparing to open a second housing complex in Beaverton this fall, and gearing up for its annual fundraising luncheon on May 10. While grants and public funding help build the housing complexes, it’s mostly private donations and rent that cover day-to-day operations.

In North Portland, Bridge Meadows houses 28 people age 55 and older, who live among nine families with 29 children – 25 of whom have been or are in the process of being adopted from foster care.

Older residents pass a background check and are required by their lease to donate at least 100 hours of time per quarter to volunteering in the community. That may be babysitting, mentoring, leading arts and crafts projects or cooking community meals.

For elders like Laush, that generally means just being available to the children. Others like Dave Pickrell, 68, help kids with homework, walk them to school or take them to sporting events.

“I have never felt this full as a person,” said Pickrell, one of only three elder men at Bridge Meadows. (Like many senior citizen homes, there are more grandmas than grandpas.)

“I had just retired and I was one of the victims at the end of the last recession and I lost my house,” he said. “Everything I thought I was going to have, I thought, oh man, now what am I going to do?”

Bridge Meadows seemed to solve both problems: Elder apartments range from $600 to $750 a month and are reserved for those with limited incomes. And he stays busy, often taking the kids to soccer games.

“It’s been a pleasure,” he said. “It’s been difficult sometimes, it’s been joyful, it’s been tearful, in good ways and bad ways.”

He gave a shrug and a half-smile. “It’s life.”

Bridge Meadows offers housing specifically to families adopting children out of foster care, with priority on those adopting sibling sets. And, it turns out, those most likely to adopt siblings are relatives, hoping to keep a family together in a time of crisis.

“Relatives who are adopting or becoming guardians of kids have a unique experience with foster care, because they still have relationships with the birth family, which can be challenging,” said Renee Moseley, associate director at Bridge Meadows. “They’re probably on a limited income, they’re often single women, and so their challenges are hard.”

They’re parents like Reba Chainey, who in 2015 adopted her two granddaughters, now ages 10 and 11.

“Bridge Meadows has been a godsend,” Chainey said. “I’m so thankful to be here. My granddaughters have grown in leaps and bounds, they’re sociable and they’re involved in so many different activities and just loving and happy.”

Communal spaces throughout the housing complex include spaces for art classes, a small library and a community kitchen and dining room. Every Wednesday is “Happiness Hour,” a weekly community dinner and activity time for which Chainey often prepares the meal.

During this week’s Happiness Hour, Julie Lawrence’s adopted son, Jayden, age 4, rode along the courtyard on his scooter, a red cape flapping behind him. Lawrence is mom to six kids, including her husband’s great niece and great nephew.

The Bridge Meadows community surrounds her with support.

“It’s the simple stuff, someone to watch my kids, but also other parents to talk to that are in the same place I’m at, or are familiar with my place that I’m in,” she said. Her children have a core of about four grandmas in the community whom they rely on regularly.

“And the grandmas that are involved with the kids, they love it. They live for it,” Lawrence said. “I’ve heard them say before they might not leave their house if they didn’t live here, but they get out for these kids.”

Unique, too, is the chance for children to make friends who have faced similar hardships.

“That’s the beauty of the community,” Moseley said. “They are with people who have traveled a similar journey and they don’t have to explain about being in foster care, they don’t have to explain about having a caretaker that is not their biological mom.”

The elders who come to Bridge Meadows receive training in dealing with children who have experienced trauma and instability. Initially, organizers thought that would be the biggest challenge for the community.

“We were worried that we would be having damaged children and we would have a lot of responsibility,” Laush said. In reality? She found children craving a loving environment.

“They came, all ages, with open arms, and from the beginning they were hugging the grandmas,” she said. “The children have learned how to take care of, how to relate to older people, and that’s kind of rare these days.”

But I can’t tell you this has been a purely Kumbaya experience. Rather, the difficulties for Bridge Meadows have been the same difficulties facing any close knit community. Three different generations have had to work out their differences when it comes to religion, politics, parenting styles and perceived gender roles.

But that’s life, right? It’s messy, complicated, and always more meaningful when you share it with others.

]]>Kris Bryant has been named senior development project manager at Guardian Real Estate Services.

Before he joined Guardian, Bryant was senior finance project manager at the Housing Development Center (HDC) in Portland, Ore., where he worked with nonprofits and housing authorities to develop and preserve affordable housing and community facilities. Before moving to Portland in 2015, he worked as a development manager at the Atlanta office of national nonprofit Mercy Housing, where he managed the financing of housing for seniors and working families. Bryant’s experience also includes working at The Dawson Co. in Atlanta, where he managed more than $350 million in urban infill, mixed-use, and transit-oriented projects in Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cincinnati.

Portland-based Guardian is a leading management, development, and investment firm in the Pacific Northwest.

The 40-unit NAYA Generations has opened in Portland’s Lents neighborhood.

A new affordable housing community aims to bring together seniors and families with foster children in Portland, Ore.

The new 40-unit NAYA Generations development provides foster families and seniors with affordable housing in Portland, Ore.

Replacing an unused school building, the 40-unit NAYA Generations seeks to address the overrepresentation of Native American youth in the foster-care system. The affordable housing development also serves as home to community elders.

The intergenerational community is a partnership between Guardian Real Estate Services, an experienced affordable housing developer, and the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA).

“This is more than housing,” says Tom Brenneke, president of Guardian. “It’s a true community that promotes stability, collaboration, and caring relationships.”

Residents can contribute to the community in a variety of ways, including teaching cultural values and history, indigenous storytelling, supporting community ceremonies, and mentoring, according to project sponsors.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for a population that’s underserved in our community,” Brenneke says. “Our affordable housing needs are huge in Portland.”

NAYA Generations is more than housing, says Tom Brenneke, president of Guardian Real Estate Services, calling it a community that promotes stability.

The new development has apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms to serve households earning no more than 60% of the area median income.

NAYA Generations is unique because it has a preference to serve foster families, particularly those with Native American children. A study found that one in five Native American children in Multnomah County is placed in foster care. That’s a rate more than 24 times worse than it is for white children, according to The Native American Community in Multnomah County: An Unsettling Profile, a 2011 report by Coalition of Communities of Color and Portland State University.

In the early stages of the project, Gov. John Kitzhaber designated the development as an Oregon Solutions project, an effort that brings together different stakeholders to create sustainable community projects. Future additions to the project may include a Head Start facility.

The approximately $12 million development is financed largely with 9% low-income housing tax credit from Enterprise Community Investment. JPMorgan Chase is the permanent and construction lender.

Other partners in the funding and development of this project include Meyer Memorial Trust, Network for Oregon Affordable Housing, Oregon Housing and Community Services, Portland Housing Bureau, and Portland Public Schools.

Carleton Hart Architecture designed the community. Other partners in the development include LMC Construction and BC Group.
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